What Do You Understand?

In the classroom, stools and books flew through the air, accompanied by bursts of hissing curses.

After a while, the few were no match for the many. The weak Hiruko was pinned firmly to the floor by several boys amid the wreckage.

Things like this existed everywhere.

In this cruel Shinobi World, this level of violence could hardly be considered excessive. If one could not even adapt to this, then it was naturally better not to become a ninja in the first place.

Otherwise, people would die when the time came.

Someone who was too gentle was unsuited to being a ninja.

"Hiruko, you really are surprising. Everyone was just playing with you. Was there any need to get this angry? Hm!?"

The younger the children, the easier it was for them to reveal pure killing intent, a mercilessness without a trace of impurity.

He could even laugh happily, as though he were tearing off a butterfly's wings.

He was simply amusing himself.

"You little dead last, you've really got nerve!"

The boy lightly slapped Hiruko's cheek, and the surrounding boys burst into laughter.

"Dead last! Dead last! Dead last!"

They chanted in unison.

Hiruko's face flushed bright red, and humiliation was carved deeply into his heart.

Tsunade stood with her arms folded, watching coldly.

To be honest, she did not think highly of Hiruko. It was not out of malice; she simply looked down on people like him.

That had to do with her own personality.

If it were her, she would simply throw another punch and make the other person shut up.

She would not stand there crying.

"How should we punish you so you'll remember our rules for good?"

The boys exchanged glances, then smiled knowingly at one another.

Several boys grabbed Hiruko tightly and hoisted him up.

In front of Hiruko, the boy was already rubbing his fists in anticipation.

It looked like he was about to use him as a punching bag.

The entire class watched this scene.

Being the center of everyone's attention made the boy's expression grow even more smug.

He must look really impressive right now.

Hiruko, meanwhile, felt increasingly helpless.

Mimi did not want to interfere in this sort of thing.

But some things could not be allowed to go too far.

"Stop!"

Justice's companion had arrived.

With his striking white hair, Jiraiya shouted as he stepped forward and grabbed the boy's fist.

The two little boys stared at each other.

One had a face full of embarrassment and anger, furious that someone had dared oppose him.

The other was angry because this bullying had clearly gone beyond mere play.

"Jiraiya, are you trying to make an enemy of us!?" the boy roared.

"So what if I am?" Jiraiya said in a low voice.

Since the beginning of the school year, Jiraiya had rarely—no, never—fallen out with anyone. He could take a joke, had a lively and playful personality, and was very popular among the boys. Even though the teacher called him an idiot too, no one bullied him.

Or rather, the boys knew that Jiraiya was not someone to provoke.

"Jiraiya, are you serious? You're standing up for this sissy?"

Seeing someone come to his rescue, Hiruko looked at Jiraiya gratefully.

"Let him go!" Jiraiya said angrily.

"What if I don't!?" The boy laughed in anger.

After a brief silence, Jiraiya gave the Naruto answer.

He threw a punch straight at the boy's cheek.

Naturally, Hiruko was released.

The boys cried out and descended into chaos, then shouted as they swarmed Jiraiya and started fighting him.

The classroom became a complete mess.

"That's too despicable! Jiraiya, I'm coming to help you!"

Seeing Jiraiya fall into a disadvantageous position, the boys who usually played with him joined the fight one after another.

Some of the girls cheered from the side, clearly enjoying the chaos.

"I knew it. Jiraiya does have a handsome side." Chiri smiled sweetly.

"I don't think he's ugly." Mimi said, "He's just a little stupid."

Tsunade watched the boys fight from the side, looking somewhat tempted.

For the moment, she had not decided which side to join.

The person at the center of it all, Hiruko, had instead been ignored by everyone. He stood to one side, awkward and at a loss.

The courage he had possessed had already been exhausted during his earlier resistance.

Mimi looked at Hiruko, lightly sniffing as she distinguished the scents in the air.

The body could not lie.

This scent...

Hm?

Fear, nervousness, relaxation, gratitude, delight, and a little bit of jealousy?

Jealous of what?

Jiraiya, who had all eyes on him and was stealing the show?

So he yearned to be noticed and valued?

Mimi pondered this, deciding to observe him for a while longer.

Once someone joined Jiraiya's side, naturally, someone else joined the opposing side.

As the battle grew more intense, things began to spiral further and further out of control.

"Ogawa is really going to be furious this time." Chiri smiled sweetly. "Boys really are interesting."

"What a pointless surplus of energy." Mimi said, "This farce ends now."

The moment she finished speaking, swarms of Kikaichū erupted. A vast black mass soon filled the entire classroom, rolling beneath the ceiling like a roiling black cloud.

A silence like a spreading plague extended through the room. One by one, those who noticed the Kikaichū stopped moving.

At the very center of the crowd, Jiraiya had been pinned down and beaten. When he noticed them, his face swollen and bruised, he could not help but nervously swallow.

The only sound in the classroom was the dense buzzing of the Kikaichū's wings.

Under the pressure of the Black Mist above their heads, no one dared even breathe loudly.

Mimi tapped her finger against the desk, drawing everyone's attention.

"I'm the boss of this class now. Who's for it, and who's against it?"

No one objected, so that meant they agreed.

"Then I'll set a few rules. All of you will follow them properly."

"First, maintain a reasonable level of quiet when I'm here."

"Second, no chasing or roughhousing in the classroom."

"Third, resolve any conflicts yourselves. I suggest having a proper fight during combat tests. Don't disturb other people's rest in public places."

"Fourth, don't bully the weak. Otherwise, I won't mind bullying you a little."

"That's all. Do you understand?"

Mimi's indifferent voice swept lightly across the entire room.

No one answered.

"Understood!"

The boys jolted and answered loudly in unison.

Very spirited.

Mimi nodded in satisfaction.

She recalled the Kikaichū flying through the air.

But the classroom remained frighteningly quiet.

Tsunade, the person most likely to resist, was holding back her trump card and did not want to provoke Mimi for the time being.

She endured this round, gnashing her teeth in anger.

"Scary, scary. Mimi, you're so scary." Chiri whispered with a sweet smile in Mimi's ear.

Mimi could not be bothered to respond.

Chiri did not find it boring either.

Jiraiya did not utter a single word. He chose to return to his seat, grimacing as he hunched his head and carefully moved.

Young Jiraiya suddenly understood that justice had to be pursued within one's limits.

Otherwise, it was not justice. It was volunteering to get beaten up.

The troublesome boy stood to one side, clenching and relaxing his fists again and again. In the end, he decided to let the matter go.

When Ogawa came to teach, he saw a scene that struck him as strange.

It was really quiet today.

Those little monkeys were not making trouble.

"Crack!"

The familiar sound that suddenly rang out made the veins on Ogawa's forehead bulge.